Combined liquid and brush holder



Dec. 24, 195.7

. H. A. HARTzELL COMBINED LIQUID AND BRUSH HOLDER Filed Nov. 22, 1955 FIG.

FIG.

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` 1 VENTOR HARRY A. HARTZLL A A. n. a.

ORNEY Lag United States Patent CDMBINED LIQUID AND BRUSH HOLDER Harry A. Hartzell, Allentown, Pa.

Application November 22, 1955, Serial No. 548,325

7 Claims. (Cl. 15-121.2)

This invention relates to receptacles in which provision is made to hold a quantity of liquid normally sealed from contact with a brush but in which, when the receptacle closure is removed a small quantity of the liquid will ow into the brush chamber to moisten the brush.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a very simple receptacle adaptable to require minimum space and in which the liquid chamber is sealed when the brush and closure are in place but the upper chamber housing the brush is open for escape of the moisture as the brush dries.

A further object of the invention is to provide a minimum size cylindrical receptacle of the type described in which small quantities of tooth cleaning iluid may be conveniently added from time to time.

A further object of the invention is to provide an attractive appearing receptacle in which the toothbrush handle forms a valve for closing the liquid chamber and while rmly attached to the closure in normal position, can be detached while the toothbrush is being used.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a central section through a preferred form of my device.

Figure 2 is a similar section through a modification.

In the preferred form of my device the receptacle is a tube 10 of fairly flexible plastic material open at both ends and having a considerably thickened Waist or partition 11 dividing the receptacle into an upper chamber 14 and a lower liquid holding chamber 15. The waist preferably is formed by a curved surface of revolution 16 in the upper chamber and a similar surface 17 in the lower chamber, these surfaces forming centrally a small opening 18, the surfaces 16 and 17 in cross section forming a right angle at their junction. The bottom of the receptacle may be integral with the side wall as in Figure 2 but I may have the bottom of the receptacle formed by a plastic plug 20 of the type quite common nowadays in medicine bottles with a hollow central portion 21 and a knurled base portion 22, as in this way I can more conveniently lill the chamber 15 with just enough liquid for a trip and keep the assembly as light in weight as possible.

The upper chamber 14 receives a brush of any kind as, for example, the toothbrush 25 having a handle 26 and a brush head, the bottom of the brush head is made conical as at 27 to form a valve closure which seats firmly at the margin of hole 18 when the upper chamber 14 is closed by screwing the cap or closure 30 on the threads 31 at the upper part of the receptacle. The closure and the stem 26 are preferably integral and a small moisture escape hole 33 is provided either in the cap as shown in Figure 1 or in the side of the receptacle as shown at 34 in Figure 2. The diameter of the valve seat 18 may be quite large but I prefer to have it smaller in diameter than the least dimension of the cross section of the toothbrush handle Z6. A convenient size is a sixteenth of an inch in diameter for an over-all diameter of an inch and a half.

In the modification shown in Figure 2, the lower liquid chamber 15a has a flat bottom 40 integral with the curved side wall 41. In this modification the angle between the curved surface of revolution 17a and 16a is acute and therefore I prefer that a conical valve seat 42 be provided matching in angle the cross section apex angle of the end 44 of the toothbrush head.

In Figure 2 the brush is shown as comprising tufts of nylon bristles such as 45. In order to decrease the over-all length of the receptacle the closure 46 is secured to the handle 26a about centrally and while it may be integral with the handle as in Figure l, it may be secured to the handle by means of a tapered pin 47 having a head 48 for convenient removal of the pin when using the brush. In this modification the toothbrush handle has the usual hole 50 whereby the device may be hung on a hook. In this modification and in the Figure 1 type, when the bottom is integral with the sides, the lower liquid chamber is lled from above, this being readily done as the walls of the receptacle in either modification are quite ilexible and soft and the liquid is therefore readily forced into the lower chamber.

In operation, the brush and its handle together with the closure is removed from the receptacle, this act opening communication between the chambers 14 and l5. Without removing the brush the device is tilted and a small quantity of liquid ows from the chamber 15 to the chamber 14, Well suicient to moisten the brush the desired amount. As the brush is being used, this liquid ows back into the chamber 15. When through using the toothbrush, the closure 30 or 46 is fitted to the receptacle either by a friction t or preferably by threaded engagement and this act seats the valve 27 or 44 on its seat so that the liquid will not escape from the lower chamber 1S even though the device is upside down. Moisture, however, from the brush as it dries readily escapes through the holes 33 or 34.

What I claim is:

l. The combination with a receptacle having a restricted waist dividing the interior of the receptacle into a liquid chamber and a communicating toothbrush receiving chamber, said waist forming at one side thereof a valve seat to close the liquid chamber, of a toothbrush having a handle at one end and a head at the opposite end, the end of the head distant from the handle being shaped to form a valve closure to engage the valve seat in the waist whereby to open or to close communication between the two chambers, and a receptacle closure movable with said handle member, the distance between the receptacle closure and the valve closure being of a length that the valve is closed when the receptacle closure is in receptacle closing position and the toothbrush is within the receptacle.

2. In combination, an elongated cylindrical receptacle, an annular partition located between the ends, forming a liquid receiving chamber and a communicating chamber, and having a valve seat at the junction of the two chambers, a brush having a handle and a head, the latter having an end forming a closure for said valve seat, and a receptacle closure movable with the handle to close the receptacle with the toothbrush inside as the valve closure moves to close the liquid chamber.

3. The combination of claim 2 in which the annular partition is bounded by a curved surface of revolution in each of the two chambers, meeting in a small hole at the center of the partition and the closure for the valve seat is formed with a surface of revolution having contact with the sides of the hole in the annular partition.

4. The combination of claim 2 in which the receptacle is open at both of its ends and a closure is provided for the liquid chamber for convenient filling of the liquid chamber when the valve is closed.

5. The device of claim 1 in which the receptacle closure is integral with the lhandle and has a threaded engagement with the receptacle and the receptacle is of exible plastic and a hole is provided in the brush chamber for the escape of moisture as the brush dries, said valve closure preventing loss of moisture from the liquid chamber as the brush dries.

6. The combination of claim 1 in which the inner and outer surfaces of the receptacle are surfaces of revolution, the waist has a conical valve seat, means are provided for detachably securing the receptacle closure to the toothbrush handle and the bottom of the receptacle isat and of larger diameter than the maximum diameter of the toothbrush chamber.

4 7. The combination of claim 1 in which the central opening in the restricted waist is smaller in diameter than the smallest dimension of the cross section of the major portion of the toothbrush handle and is less than one-seventh of the inside diameter of the toothbrush holding chamber.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,584,042 Ober Ian. 29, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 302,014 Great Britain Dec. 13, 1928 817,101 Germany Dec. 3, 1951 

